Going Out of My Head
by Stella Luce 333
Summary: What seems more likely: A young teenager fighting the forces of evil with her friends, or a young teenager who has a great amount of intelligence, but whose mind also plays tricks on her? A Code Lyoko fic inspired by "Normal Again" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Part of XANA's Lair Writing Month.
1. Chapter 1

Alita's POV:

I had managed to lose the specter in the woods.

I moved quietly among the trees, not feeling safe enough to risk walking along one of the trails. He was still out here, somewhere, waiting for me…

Despite all the time I've spent walking through these woods, I wasn't really sure where I was. I had managed to get turned around during the chase.

A twig snapped, & I froze. After a few long seconds of silence, I glanced down. _I_ was the one who had stepped on a twig. I carefully continued on my way, being careful where I stepped.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Jeremy.

"How's it going?" he asked. "We could really use your help on Lyoko."

"I lost him." I said. "I'm making my way to the factory now, but I'm not sure how long that'll take…" I trailed off, hearing another twig snap. I glanced down. This time it was _not_ me.

"Jeremy, I think he found me." I said. I hung up & started moving as quickly as I dared. I saw a path through the trees. I would be out in the open, but the ground was flat. Maybe I could put some distance between us before hiding among the trees again…

I sprinted along the path…& the specter stepped out of the woods in front of me. I tried to stop, but I slid instead. I tried to get my feet back under me, but he grabbed my arm & my vision swam. He was taking my codes!

My vision started to darken. I had to fight against passing out. I couldn't let XANA get any stronger!

I fought back, trying to twist out of his grip, but he was too strong. I could barely move.

"I've just given her a sedative." a voice said from somewhere nearby. That was weird. XANA's new specters didn't talk. "She should settle down soon."

I didn't know who he was talking to, but I had a pretty good idea who he was talking _about_. I wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"Let…me…go!" I said, twisting this way & that, trying to break his hold on me. It was no use. He was too strong for me, & it felt like more than one was holding me. How many were there?

I tried to look behind me, to see how many I was up against. Instead of the woods, I saw that we were in a small white room with very little furniture. Everything was a blur, but there were at least two specters holding me.

How did I get here?

Where did the other specter come from?

My legs gave out from under me, & I knew there was no hope. I kept struggling, but my movements were slow & sluggish. The specters caught me as I fell. I caught sight of the logo on his shirt.

_Kadic Mental Health Facility._

That was the last thing I saw before everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>After taking about a month off from the end of my last story until now, it feels good to be back!<strong>

**I'm writing this as part of our annual Writing Month over on XANA's Lair. The challenge is to write a story with 25,000 words during the month of July. Those of you who know me know that that's not likely to happen…but I'm going to do my best, & hopefully we'll have a lot of fun along the way!**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Alita's POV:

...Why was the world sideways?

I blinked, & lifted my head slowly. The world wasn't sideways. I was lying on the ground in the forest. Thankfully, not in a mental hospital.

Somebody was calling my name.

I was slowly pushing myself into a sitting position when Willem ran down the path towards me.

"Guys! I found her!" he yelled. I winced. That wasn't helping my headache at all…

"Are you ok?" Willem asked.

"The specter got me." I said. He helped me stand as the others joined us. "What about the tower?"

"Already taken care of, Princess." Od said. "Don't worry about a thing."

"We were worried when we couldn't reach you." Yumi said.

I patted my pockets. "I must have dropped my phone. I just woke up. How long was I out?"

"A couple hours." Ulrick said. "How do you feel?"

"_Terrific_." I said, sarcastically. I took a step forward, which made me dizzy. Willem didn't let go, & Jeremy stepped over to support my other side.

"Come on." Jeremy said. "You can lie down in my room while we check your codes, ok?"

I nodded, & with their help, headed back to school.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, I was feeling better. Not perfect, but at least my head wasn't throbbing &amp; I was able to walk on my own.<p>

I had eaten a little bit of my dinner, but I wasn't really hungry. I just wanted to go to bed so that I could sleep off the lingering effects of the specter.

I opened the door to my room…

This wasn't my room.

It was completely white, & didn't have much furniture in it except for a bed & a desk with a chair by the window. I turned & walked back into the hallway.

This wasn't the school's hallway. It was an all white corridor. People walked by, & I caught sight of the logo on their shirts…The same logo for Kadic Mental Health Facility.

I went back inside the room, & closed the door. Was I still suffering from the specter's touch?

The room was laid out the same as my real dorm. Maybe that was where I actually was, even if I couldn't see it?

Slowly, so I wouldn't bump into anything, I moved over to the bed. I touched it. It felt real enough. I sat on it, carefully, & it supported my weight.

Maybe when I woke up in the morning, I'd be back to normal…

I was about to attempt to fall asleep when the door opened.

"Tyron." I said. My heart was pounding but I was determined not to show it. "What are you doing here?"

"It's time for your weekly progress report." he said.

"Get out of my room." I said. "I don't know how you found me, but I won't let you or XANA win."

"I can see it's going to be one of those days." he said, sitting at my desk. He flipped open a folder he had with him. "You had to be sedated earlier today, I see. Thought you were getting chased by another one of your specters."

Before I could come up with a reply, the door opened again.

Was it really…?

"Alita, sweetheart." she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Mama?!" I jumped up & gave her a hug. I just couldn't believe I was holding her in my arms again! It was all I'd wanted to do since finding out she was still alive…

XANA knew this.

"Stay back!" I said as I forced myself to push her away. "XANA's already tricked me with this once! I won't let him trick me again!" They were both specters, they had to be!

Tyron didn't seem fazed. "Should we get started, or are we waiting for your husband?"

"Ha!" I cried. "Nice try, XANA! My father is dead! He died trying to protect me!"

"Sorry I'm late." A voce said from the door. "I had trouble finding a space to park the car…"

But it couldn't be…

It's just not possible…

"It's good to see you, Alita, my der."

"…_Daddy?!"_

* * *

><p><strong>So…it's looking like this isn't going to be finished in a month, like I said it would. The good news is that I think I figured out why I've been taking so long to post chapters, &amp; I might have figured out how to fix it. Too bad I didn't figure this out at the beginning of the month!<strong>

**Don't worry, I still plan to finish the story!**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Alita's POV:

"Let's review your daughter's condition." Tyron said. He had led us to a small conference room, where we sat around a small table.

"Alita, you've been diagnosed with a form of schizophrenia, which means that for the past few years, your delusions have felt completely real to you. You've invented an entire world, an entire life, in your mind. You call yourself a Lyoko Warrior, & you, along with the friends that you've made up, fight to save the world from an evil virus that you call XANA."

"My friends are real." I said, pointedly. "I don't know what you've done, but they _will_ find me."

"You managed to recover from this." He continued as if I hadn't spoken. "You said that XANA had been destroyed & that the battle was over."

"It was over until _you _brought him back!" I said, with more of a shriek than I had intended.

"You were able to resume a normal life with your parents for about a year before you suffered from a relapse. That's when your parents brought you to me."

"No!" I shrieked. "You just want to know where Lyoko's supercomputer is so you can destroy it!"

My mom brushed a comforting hand through my hair. "Oh, honey, Tyron isn't going to hurt you! He's one of the top specialists in his line of work."

"Of course!" Daddy said, laying his hand on top of mine that were curled in my lap. "Only the best for our daughter."

"If anything, this is a sign of progress." Tyron said. "On some level, even subconsciously, Alita is aware of what I'm saying & is reacting well to the therapy. Because I threaten the reality of her delusion, her mind has made me into a villain."

"No!" I screamed. "NO!" I sat straight up in bed, heart pounding.

I…was back in my dorm. My alarm was starting to go off, telling me it was time to get ready for school.

…Was it all a dream?

Head in my hands, I took a few deep breaths. It had all felt so _real_, but it was probably just the effects of that stupid specter.

I slid out of bed & grabbed my clothes to take to the shower. Maybe the effects had finally worn off & everything would be back to normal…

Wait.

The last thing I remembered from last night was coming back to my dorm. I didn't remember changing for bed, or even falling asleep…

I guess I must have, though…Otherwise, I wouldn't be wearing my night gown (which I was) or have been under the covers (which I had been).

What was happening to me?

* * *

><p>"You seem quiet this morning." Yumi said. She had joined us in the cafeteria for breakfast.<p>

"I had a weird dream last night." I said. "I just can't get it out of my mind…"

"Oh yeah?" Od said around a mouthful of food. "Did it involve a time machine, a flock of pigeons, & Katy Perry? 'Cause I've had that one too…"

"…I'm pretty sure you're the only one who's had that dream, Od…" Ulrick said.

I smiled as I listened to their conversation. I went back to picking at my waffles…to find that it had turned into oatmeal.

With horror, I realized I was still in a cafeteria, but this one had white walls & no windows. I must be back at the mental hospital. I gasped & my fork slipped out of my hand, hitting the table before falling to the floor.

"Are you ok, Alita?" Willem asked. Just like that, I was back in the school cafeteria…with all my friends staring at me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You just kind of spaced out a little, then dropped your fork." Ulrick said.

"Don't worry, it happens to everybody now & then." Od said.

"I don't think so." I said, shaking my head. "Not like this." I told them everything that had been happening to me, starting from the incident with the specter to waking up this morning.

"I'll run a scan for towers on Lyoko." Jeremy said. "If this is XANA's dong, we'll know soon enough. Meanwhile, we'll keep an eye on you to make sure you don't zone out during class."

"Thank you." I said, quietly. It felt good to have a plan in place.

We would get to the bottom of this, once & for all.

* * *

><p><strong>It looks like the lines between reality &amp; delusion are starting to blur even more! The question is…which one is reality, &amp; which one is the delusion?<strong>

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Alita's POV:

"Do you mind if I borrowed your notes?" I asked Jeremy. I had stopped by his room after school.

"No problem." he said, barely glancing up from his computer.

"Have you gotten any results yet?" I asked as I pulled out the note books for the subjects I had missed & sat down on his bed.

"The scan didn't find any active towers, but I took a closer look at the data. For some reason, the desert sector took a lot longer to scan than the mountain sector. I'm running a few tests, but it's very possible that XANA has messed with the scan in order to hide an active tower somewhere in that region."

"Maybe I can find the tower if you send me to Lyoko." I suggested. As much as I missed my parents, I was tired. It was frustrating to have so much time with them in a world that was all in my head…I was even starting to question whether or not I actually was crazy…

"No, I don't like the idea of sending you in without a good idea of what to expect, especially in the condition you're in." he said. "I noticed you were kind of spacing out during science class."

I smiled at the memory. "My father & I were playing piano together in the hospital's music room." I didn't mention that I had also missed most of my history & math classes too…

I went back to copying his notes when I realized my note book wasn't on my lap anymore. I wasn't even in Jeremy's room anymore…

It looked like I was in an office. A door opened & closed behind me.

"I'm glad to see you're still with us." Tyron said. "I'm glad your parents are able to spend some extra time with you, but you still need to have your therapy." He sat down behind the desk. "So, how are things on Lyoko?"

"Like I'd really tell you." I said. "You just want to destroy our supercomputer."

"If that's how you want to describe me helping you defeat the madness in your mind…" Tyron said as he scribbled something down in a file. "How about XANA? Has he been up to any of his nasty tricks again?"

"XANA is more evil & powerful than anything you've ever known." I said. "What makes you think he's going to need you after he regains his strength?"

"Now, I don't think that's true. Your previous therapists have mentioned details of things like a pack of wolves, a meteor shower hitting the school, or a bus crashing into a nuclear power plant. Now, it seems like all XANA does is send specters after you & your friends. That doesn't seem so scary. That's certainly something that you can overcome."

He paused, waiting for a response. I didn't give him one.

"You're a smart girl, Alita. Your knowledge of computers & computer systems is incredible, & can lead to a promising & lucrative career path, but you must accept that _Lyoko isn't real_. What seems more likely: a young teenager fighting the forces of evil with her friends, or a young teenager who has a great amount of intelligence, but whose mind also plays tricks on her?"

"_Alita!"_ Jeremy's voce brought me back. Now that Tyron wasn't right in front of me, I didn't have to worry about staying strong. I took a few deep breaths to clam myself, but I couldn't help that a few tears slipped out any way. Jeremy was by my side in an instant.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled." Jeremy said. "I was just trying to bring you back…"

"It's ok, I'm glad you brought me back." I said. "I'm just so confused right now. What if I _am _crazy?"

"You're not crazy, Alita."

"But what if I am? People our age worry more about social media than saving the world!" I said. "The mental hospital just feels so real! It's not like I'm on Lyoko, in some type of ghost channel. It feels like it could actually exist…"

"It doesn't." Jeremy said with enough confidence that I almost believed him. "Why don't you use your laptop & help me analyze the data. We'll figure out what's going on faster with both of us working on it. Ok?"

I nodded, taking a shaky breath.

Jeremy always seemed to know exactly what to say…

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry about the delay…I had horrible writer's block for some reason. It's strange, it shouldn't be hard to write scenes like this since I doubt my own sanity from time to time…lol<strong>

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Alita's POV:

_This was where it all began. _I thought as I approached the entrance to the forest behind the school. It was a long shot, but maybe there was a clue near where I was attacked. Jeremy & I were at a loss for answers, even after working all afternoon.

Standing near the entrance to the woods was a strange telephone box that I had never seen before. It was a deep blue Police Box.

I kept walking. XANA would never do anything like that. It was too big, too easily spotted…

I was lost in thought when a strange man bumped into me.

"Sorry!" he said as he picked up whatever he was carrying. It looked like a metal rod with a green light on the end. "I'm trying to track a ship, but…no no no, don't do that!" he said as he waved his rod around. "They've entered the time vortex. I have to…Ha! I've locked on!" He hurried off, getting inside the Police Box.

…I wasn't really sure what to make of that. He seemed to be talking more to himself than to me…

As I turned around to keep walking, I heard a strange sound behind me. Almost like a strange wheezing sound. I turned as a slight wind started to pick up.

As I watched, the Police Box seemed to fade before disappearing all together. The strange sound & wind had vanished along with it.

Maybe I _was _going crazy…

* * *

><p>There were no clues in the woods.<p>

After dinner, I headed back to my room with a plan. If the mental hospital was all in my head, then I should be able to control it in some way. XANA might have created this problem, but maybe I can fight it from the inside…

After taking a few deep breaths to calm my mind, I sat on my bed & concentrated on the mental hospital. Closing my eyes, I tried to will myself there.

I opened them to find my little white room in the mental hospital. I did it!

Before I let myself get too excited, I closed my eyes & willed myself to go back to Kadic Academy…which was also a success!

I had finally gained some control over it!

Going back to the hospital, I decided to try something a little more difficult. If this world was in my head, I should be able to control all aspects of it…including objects.

I went over to my empty desk, closed my eyes, & focused on something simple…like an orange. Like a brightly colored round orange that would just be sitting on my desk. I opened my eyes.

Empty.

Well, at least I had figured out how to switch between the two "worlds." That will be a huge help during school tomorrow.

Returning to Kadic, I decided to try & get some homework done before bed. I kind of wanted to call Jeremy & tell him the good news, but it was late & he was probably engrossed in his own work…

A soft knock came from my door. Who else was up at this hour?

"Jeremy? What are you doing here?" I asked as I let him in.

"I just wanted to check on you." he said. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better, actually." I explained to him how I had started to control whatever XANA had put inside my head.

"That's good!" Jeremy said when I had finished. "That'll at least buy us a little time…"

"Yeah. It's a shame about the orange, though. I didn't really have a huge appetite at dinner, so I guess I'm a little hungry…"

"I think I can help with that." Reaching into his bag, he tossed something to me. It was an orange.

"…Where did you get this?" I asked.

"Od shoved in my bag this morning for a snack. He was lucky I didn't squish it…"

I smiled, but I was coming to a horrible conclusion.

I had wanted to talk to Jeremy, & he had shown up at my door.

I had wanted an orange, & he just pulled one of his bag to give to me.

…Was I controlling _this _world?

I had to do one more test to be sure.

I picked one of the drawers on my desk at random & focused. I wanted to do the impossible. When I opened the drawer, I wanted five Euros to be in there.

I pulled it open…& there it was. The bill had every detail correct. It looked exactly like the real thing…I sank down on my bed in shock. Was everything I knew about myself a lie?

"Are you ok, Alita?" Jeremy asked. I had forgotten that he was still here…

"I'm fine." I said. "I guess I'm just tired. I think I might try to get some sleep."

"Ok, I'll see you in the morning." Jeremy said as he let himself out. "Good night."

What was I supposed to do, now that I knew everything, including my friends, Lyoko, & XANA were all just figments of my imagination?

I guess there was only one thing to do.

I went back to my room in the mental hospital, & then quickly made my way to Tyron's office. He was just leaving.

"You're up late." Tyron said when he saw me. "Go on back to bed. I'll see you tomorrow for our usual session."

"I want to get better." I said in a rush. He stopped walking & faced me. "I was wrong. I can see that now. Please, I just want to go home. I want to be with my parents. I want my life back."

Tyron smiled.

"We'll start working on that first thing in the morning."

* * *

><p><strong>Part of the challenge of the Writing Month was to include a cameo somewhere in the story. So, since Alita is losing her mind anyway, why not have a mad man show up with his box?<strong>

**I don't have too much experience writing for Doctor Who, so if any of you guys happen to be fans, let me know how I did! (It was supposed to be the Eleventh Doctor).**

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Alita's POV:

After a breakfast I barely ate, I headed straight for Tyron's office. My stomach was in knots.

It was time to finish this once & for all.

I couldn't help but feel a little bit sad that I was never going to see Lyoko or my friends again. But I also felt excited. I was going to get to go _home_, with _both _of my parents, & I would get to live a normal life with them.

As I opened the door to Tyron's office, I was surprised to see my parents were sitting there…but that didn't stop me from giving them each a big hug. Was I going to get to go home with them just like that?

"Take a seat, Alita." Tyron said. "I was just telling your parents that you have finally decided to embrace treatment."

"What do I need to do?" I asked as I took a seat in between my parents. Now that they were part of my life again, I wasn't planning on letting them out of my sight.

"Your previous therapist had you destroy XANA, which worked for a while." Tyron said. "But I think we need to do something that can't be fixed so easily. Instead of destroying XANA, I think you need to destroy Lyoko."

"How do I do that?" I asked, trying to remain calm. No matter how real it had felt, Lyoko was all in my head. I had to remind myself that it didn't really exist.

"There are some notes here about how XANA had forced you to destroy a sector of Lyoko. You still remember the code that you used?"

"Yes."

"Good. I want you to go to Lyoko, enter the code into a tower, & destroy Lyoko." He must have noticed the look of shock on my face. "I had a feeling that this would not be an easy task for you, so I asked your parents to come. If you run into any trouble, if you need any encouragement, you can just come back & we'll all help you through this. Understood?"

I nodded.

"All right, go to Lyoko now. We'll be right here waiting for you."

I willed myself back to my delusion. I was on Lyoko, sitting behind a ridge of sandy rocks. I started to stand up when I was gently pulled back down.

"Easy, princess." Od said. "There's like six Tarantulas over there, remember?"

"What?"

"Jeremy, I think Alita's back with us." Ulrick said. He was sitting on my other side.

"Alita, what's the last thing you remember?" Jeremy asked.

"Last night." I said.

"Ok, well, I figured out what was wrong. XANA put a bug in the Super Scan. This tower has been active for the last few days. I think it might be the one controlling whatever XANA's done to you to make you hallucinate."

"What about Yumi & Willem?" I asked. They weren't sitting here with us.

"They're making their way to a ridge around the other side. Once they get there, you guys will attack from both sides. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes." I took a deep breath. "I know what I have to do."

I couldn't let my friends stop me from destroying Lyoko, but I also didn't want them to fall into the Digital Sea when Lyoko disappears.

I summoned an Energy Field & slammed it into Od's chest. I quickly summoned my wings & flew up out of Ulrick's reach, landing in front of the Tarantulas.

They didn't fire. If this was my dream, then they would follow my command.

"They're behind that ridge." I said, pointing. Three of them headed off to find Yumi & Willem.

"Guys! I think XANA's done it!" Jeremy said. "He's convinced Alita that this isn't real! You have to stop her!"

"I'll handle it, Jeremy!' Ulrick said as he sprinted behind me. I blocked each one of his blades with an Energy Field. He was stronger than me, but I managed to twist my hands slightly so that my Energy Fields fused together to make one big one. Ulrick was knocked off his feet. A final Energy Field was all it took.

Two down, two to go.

* * *

><p><strong>It looks like Alita has made her choice…or has she? It all comes down to what code she decides to enter in the tower…assuming that Yumi &amp; Willem don't stop her first!<strong>

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Alita's POV:

I found myself back in Tyron's office, breathing heavily. This was going to be harder than I thought…

"You can do this, honey." Daddy said. "You're halfway there."

I took a few deep breaths & forced myself back to Lyoko. The sooner I finished this, the sooner I would get to be with my family.

"You have to stop Alita from accessing the tower!" Jeremy was yelling to Yumi & Willem. They had managed to defeat most of the Tarantulas, & now Yumi had her sights set on me. She threw both of her fans, but I destroyed each one with an Energy Field. I threw a final Energy Field straight at her, sending her home.

"It's all up to you, Willem." Jeremy said. "You have to stop Alita from entering the tower!"

Willem was in front of me in an instant, thanks to his Super Smoke. I used my wings to jump out of the way, just in time to dodge Willem's attack. He used his Super Smoke again, but this time I was ready for him. I grabbed his wrist with one hand to keep him from bringing his sword down, & with the other I used an Energy Field to send him home as well.

I had done it. My friends were safe.

Now, I just needed to enter the tower to destroy this place once & for all.

I entered the tower & rose up to the higher platform, like so many times before. I placed my hand on the interface. It recognized me, & prompted me to enter a code. This was it. The moment of truth.

"I can't do this." I said, going back to Tyron's office. I felt tears running down my face. "I just can't do this."

"You have to do this!" Tyron said. "Don't you want to be free of Lyoko? Don't you want to go home with your parents, to a normal life?" He continued when I didn't answer him. "Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

I felt like I was on the edge of hysteria now. One choice would make all the difference.

My father reached over & took one of my hands in his while my mother reached over & took the other. They each felt so real…but so did Lyoko. I had so many memories of Lyoko…but were they real, or did I make them up?

"Alita, my dear, you are so very strong." Daddy said. "You're strong enough to fight XANA, & you're strong enough to make this decision. Your mother & I are so very proud of you. You have so much strength, so much courage, & so much determination. You can do anything you set your mind to."

"All we want is for you to be healthy & happy." My mother added. "We know you can do this."

"Look deep inside yourself, Alita." Daddy said. "You can let go of what's holding you back."

I closed my eyes & took a few deep breaths. I thought about everything that had happened over the last few days, & I realized that my parents were right. I already knew what I had to do…but that didn't make it any easier…

I opened my eyes to see them all watching me intently, waiting for me to make my choice.

"You're right." I said. "Thank you. This is something I've wanted for a long time. I get my strength from both of you. You are the reason why I am the person I am. I love you both so much. I always will." I squeezed their hands lightly.

I had made my decision.

"Good bye." I said, closing my eyes. Back on Lyoko, I entered the code.

LYOKO.

* * *

><p><strong>Alita has finally made her choice about what is &amp; isn't real…but did she make the right choice? We'll find out in the final chapter!<strong>

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Alita's POV:

"I had a feeling I'd find you here."

I was lying on my bed in the Hermitage, but I sat up at the sound of Jeremy's voce. I hadn't really wanted to see anybody after what I almost did this morning, but Jeremy knew me better than anybody else.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting down beside me.

"I haven't gone back to the mental hospital since this morning." I said. "You were right all along. It wasn't real, & neither were my parents." XANA had offered me everything I'd ever wanted, but none of it was real…

"You can't blame yourself, Alita." Jeremy said, as if he knew what I was thinking. "XANA knows how badly you miss your family. He knows all of our weaknesses. He knows exactly how to trick us."

"But I fall for it _every _single time." I said. "Are the others mad at me? For what I almost did?"

"No. We all know that XANA was just messing with you. You made the right choice, in the end. You figured it out just in time…I don't know if I could've had the courage to do what you did."

"My parents gave me some good advice." I said. "They reminded me how strong I was. They believed in me. They told me to make the right choice, & I did."

I let one of my hands rest on top of his.

"I know that this is real."

* * *

><p>"Well, she's stable, but she's fallen into a coma." Tyron told Alita's anxious parents. "There's still some time left for visiting hours, so you can go in &amp; see her. As always, I'll let you know if anything changes in her condition."<p>

"Thank you, Doctor Tyron." Franz said.

"I really thought we had made some progress this time." Tyron said. "We were close. I think the next time she comes back to us, I might be able to get through to her."

Tyron left the couple alone as they entered their daughter's room in the infirmary.

"I really thought she was going to come home with us." Anthea said. Her daughter felt farther away than ever.

"It will be all right, my dear. She's our daughter. She's strong." Franz wrapped his arm around his wife, kissing the top of her head.

That's when he noticed something.

"Look, Anthea." he said. "I think Alita's smiling."

"Do you think she knows we're here?" she asked, hopefully.

"Perhaps." Franz said. "Or perhaps whatever she's dong, wherever she is…She's happy."

Franz noticed Tyron outside the door. Visiting hours were over for today.

"Come back to us, Alita." Franz said, softly.

"We'll be waiting."

* * *

><p><strong>Just like in the original Buffy episode, the ultimate decision about what was real &amp; what wasn't lies with you. I'd love to know what you think!<strong>

**As for the Writing Month challenge…I'm way past the deadline & way under the word count, lol…But I had a great time, & I'm so glad you guys have enjoyed the story!**

**Until next time!**

**Please review!**


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